ITC Ceramic Coatings

Spraying ITC Ceramic Coating inside of a Kiln

Click to enlarge.

Ceramic furnace coatings have been tested and refined for more than fifty years and have two main purposes- radiating and dispersing heat and protecting the sufaces they cover. This results in more effective energy use and significant reduction in oxidizing and corrosive action due to heat exposure. Read on or click here for more information and ITC testimonials.

Note: Unlike clay-based products, ITC does not damage if it frozen. Just slowly thaw it in a warm place.

Buy ITC Ceramic Coating Products

Click to enlarge.

ITC 100 HT Ceramic Coating
Recommended for use on all kiln interiors (electric, gas and wood kilns), including hard brick, insulating fire brick and fiber blankets. It is also used to coat burner blocks and burner tips. ITC 100 can:

ITC 100 HT
Ceramic Coating

Prolong lifetime of kiln
Prolong lifetime of kiln furniture
Reduce fuel consumption between 12% and 55%
Improve lifetime of fiber insulated kilns and prevents fiber deterioration by forming a protective crust-like surface on fiber
Increase heat emissivity of kiln furniture and kiln interior, thus preventing excessive heat loss in all directions, even through kiln car decks
One pint will cover approximately 3 square feet of area in a kiln.

Click to enlarge.

ITC 200 EZ Ceramic Fill
This formulation is for quick and easy repairs of cracks, crevices, chips and other damaged areas of your kiln. Bonds rapidly. Hand-moldable to conform to desired shape. Eliminates need for costly masonry work and lengthy downtime. Revives old equipment economically and efficiently! Apply with spatula over freshly applied ITC 100 HT. Coverage varies depending on amount of damage necessary to be repaired.

ITC 200 EZ
Ceramic Fill

Click to enlarge.

ITC 213 Ceramic Coating For Metals
ITC 213 will protect metal parts (including elements, burners, kiln frames, and new elements coated before installation) from oxidation or reduction and other harsh environments such as high temperatures and proximity to molten metals, molten glass or glazes.

ITC 213
Ceramic Coating
for Metals

Click to enlarge.

ITC 296 A Ceramic Top Coating
A high purity coating which gives a clean firing and minimizes impurities in gloss kilns and molten metal operations. Use to prevent dross and slag build-up and heavy suds and carbon deposits. One pint will cover approximately 3 square feet of area in a kiln.

ITC 296 A
Ceramic Top
Coating

The MIT Sand Blaster Kit is an excellent tool for applying ITC 100 HT or ITC 296 A.
Click here to find out more information on it.

More information on ITC Ceramic Coating Products

Plywood covered with ITC was used to cover opening of continuous fired kiln while door was being repaired. (Don’t try this at home). Click to enlarge.	ITC Ceramic Coatings were originally used in industrial settings. A well known steel company was doing daily repairs on their tundish (holding vessels) due to the harsh conditions of molten metal. After repairs and coating with ITC 100 HT, ITC 148, and ITC 296A, the tundish was used for 2.5 years with no repairs before reconditioning was necessary. A manufacturer of stainless steel was forced to replace elements every six months until one of their engineers discovered ITC. The first year that they coated their elements with ITC 213 and ITC 296A they saved $250,000. At a famous aluminum company ITC 100 HT is applied on a regular basis on hard refractory furnace walls and fiber lids. A supervisor calls ITC “outstanding” and claims that their use of ITC has helped them to survive in the world of competition. Many brick companies are succeeding because of ITC products, which have cut firing time and improved uniformity of temperature. One went from 44-hour to 20-hour cycles while reducing seconds from 50% to 2%. Several brick companies have specified ITC in their contracts for new kilns and kiln cars. Soon large pottery facilities discovered ITC A highly respected manufacturer of fine stoneware with international sales cut firing time from 16 hours to 6 hours and at the same time improved quality of ware. Since 1981 a prestigious manufacturer of fine china has used ITC 296A on their kiln setters, replacing 80% fewer than before. ITC has now become recognized and appreciated by a broad base of art potters and is being used by numbers of schools, universities, and museums. A well known art potter who creates museum quality pieces and markets them through famous galleries has said that he would not think of firing in a kiln not coated with ITC. A production potter who sells to department stores called to order ITC to cut firing times. When told to expect improved colors, he said he already was getting beautiful colors. Two weeks later, after firing with the ITC, he called and excitedly exclaimed that now his colors were even more beautiful and in fact they were spectacular. An award winning potter said she used to spend hours grinding salt off her shelves before she coated them with ITC 100 HT. She loves the stuff! A small glass blower coated his glass melting furnace and globar elements and has been having great success for over three years now. A glass artist was replacing elements every three months. Upset not only with the cost of replacement, but also with the downtime, he purchased a pint of ITC 213 to coat a new set of elements. Almost two years later the elements still look and perform like brand new. A potter called to order a gallon of ITC 100 HT and said “You saved my life.” he explained that he had been losing half of his pots due to flying fiber and after coating his fiber kiln with ITC 100 HT, he was not losing any pots. So of course he wanted to coat his other kiln.
Torch on fiber covered with ITC coating with hand behind it. (Don’t try this at home). Click to enlarge.
Rat tail burner used under small electric kiln in experiment to test coated elements under reduction conditions. Click to enlarge.

What Author Nils Lou has to say about ITC Ceramic Coatings

ITC products were recently written up in highly acclaimed book The Art of Firing by Nils Lou in which Nils states “the ITC coatings are as technologically significant as the development of insulating brick”.

Click to enlarge.

Nils Lou, Professor, Author and Potter, conducted a number of experiments with ITC ceramic coatings which were documented in his book “The Art of Firing”. A brief summary of some his findings are as follows:

ITC Coatings Help Contain and Protect Fiber in Fiber Kilns
Coating virtually eliminates the hazards of loose fibers by sealing them in place. Loose fibre glaze problems are eliminated as well.
ITC Coatings Reduce Fuel Bills
Sprayed on the interior of any kiln, ITC100HT will produce dramatic improvement, with shortened firing times and impressive fuel savings.
ITC Filler Effectively Patches Damaged Brick
Especially handy in school situations where students are frequently bumping the walls of kilns with shelves or other objects. It repairs kiln lids like new- better, because it is stronger.
ITC Coatings Improve the Temperature Ratings of Kiln Furniture
When cordierite/mullite shelves designed for cone 6 electric kilns were coated they became fully functional at cone 10, even in reduced salting conditions. After being placed into a cone 14 area of an Anagama Kiln, these same shelves showed only a little sign of warping after a 72 hour firing.
ITC Coatings Can Protect Kiln Furniture (even insulated fire brick) From the Corrosive Effects of Salt Firings
A recent experiment with Don Hoskinsson at Western Oregon university showed conclusively that a salt kiln could be built using insulating firebricks in place of the usual hard firebrick. Hard brick (salt) kilns generally require four times the fuel to reach temperature compared to those made with IFB. Without the ITC coating, however, IFB Brick would quickly break down under the corrosive salt atmosphere.
ITC Coatings Extends the Life of Electric Kiln Elements and Even Allows Them to Withstand the Atmosphere of Reduction Firings
Used in “normal” neutral or oxidizing atmospheres, electric kiln elements form a protective coating of oxidized alumina that, if subjected to atmospheric reduction, reverts to base metal and allows the element to diminish in size and actually spall off layers. This does not occur, however, if the elements have been coated with ITC100HT or better yet treated with a specialized metal coating, ITC213. If Coated elements do so well in corrosive atmospheres, just think how well they will do with normal use!
Even Combustible Materials Such As Wood Are Able to Withstand High Temperatures When Coated With ITC Products
Nils coated a 3/4 inch piece of plywood with ITC coating and used it to cover the main stoking port of his anagama kiln as cone 14 was bending. After 10 minutes the back of the board was still cool. After 20 minutes it was removed revealing gases had bubbled the coating and it was only then beginning to burn. WOW. How about a disposable kiln made from ITC covered plywood? NOTE: Don’t try this at home.

Nils Lou, Author, Professor & Potter
Nils Lou, Author, Professor and Potter

Return to a previous page...

Main Kiln Accessories Listing

Axner is a trade name of Laguna Clay Co. | 490 Kane Ct., Oviedo FL 32765 | Phone: 800-843-7057 or 407-365-2600 | Fax: 407-365-5573